1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical disk drive methods and systems, and in particular to methods and systems for optical drive systems that can accommodate a variety of optical drive technologies.
2. Description of the Related Art
Because of the high capacities and relatively low costs associated with optical storage discs and drives, optical disc technologies, such as CD and DVD technologies, are frequently used to store data, programs, and multimedia. Many computer systems and the like utilize optical drives that can accommodate writable optical media, such as write-once CD disks, re-writable CD disks (CD-RW), and re-writable DVD disks (DVD-RW). This allows users to utilize optical media to archive data, or store programs, photos, audio files, video files, or the like.
Optical drives, such as CD-RW drive systems, are typically operated at least partly based on hard-coded instruction and parameters. The instruction codes may identify the type system to be controlled, such as the CD-RW system, the CD write once recordable system, the DVD-RW system, and so on. The hard coded parameters conventionally control parameters of drive system mechanisms, such as an optical pickup and a spindle motor. Thus, for example, the parameters controlled may include the laser write power, the spindle motor currents, servo currents, and the like.
The present invention is related to a system for writing in or reading out data on a medium. The system comprises a mechanism unit, a volatile memory, and a driving unit. The mechanism unit writes in or reads out data on a medium. The volatile memory stores mechanism driving information and data for writing in or reading out on the medium from an external apparatus. The driving unit activates the mechanism unit in response to the mechanism driving information, and sends the data to said mechanism unit.
The present invention is also related to a method for writing in or reading out data on a medium using a mechanism unit, a volatile memory, and a driving unit. The method detects a type of mechanism unit by the driving unit, stores into the volatile memory mechanism driving information corresponding to the mechanism unit detected from an external apparatus, and furnishes the mechanism driving information to the mechanism unit through the driving unit for activation. Then the method stores data for writing in or reading out into the volatile memory from the external apparatus, and furnishes the data to the mechanism unit through the driving unit for writing in or reading out on the medium.
The present invention can flexibly adapt to a variety of optical drive technologies. For example, in one embodiment, the same controller can be used with write-once CD optical drives, re-writable CD (CD-RW) optical drives, and re-writable DVD (DVD-RW) optical drives
Thus, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a drive. memory is used both as a buffer memory, and also to store data that is typically hard coded, such as disk drive operating parameters. Since one system can be changed to another type of system by replacing information in the drive memory with information for another type, the embodiment of the invention can produce flexibility and economic efficiency.